Huff and Buff has moved

Dear Followers and Subscribers,

Huff and Buff has moved.  I can still be found here at www.huffandbuff.com.  However, I have moved from Blogger to self-hosted Wordpress.  They tell me the transition should be seamless for my followers and subscribers, however, erring on the side of caution, I thought I would post my little announcement here.  Should your feed subscription have been interrupted please stop by Huff and Buff and re-subscribe.  I look forward to bringing you more fitness information at my new home.  Hope to see you there!  

Thank you for your patience during this transition.

Body Composition: What Are You Made Of?

The human body is composed of many parts making up a persons total body weight – the number you see on the scale.  This number however doesn’t show the entire picture.  Body composition refers to the different components that make up a persons total weight.  These components include lean weight – which includes muscles, bone, organs and water – and body fat.  Body composition is expressed as a percent of body fat mass and percent of lean body mass.  These numbers help to paint a more accurate picture.  Measuring body fat is a more reliable measurement than body mass index, which was discussed previously.

The chart below shows body fat percentage categories for women and men:

There are several methods available to calculate body fat percentages.  Some of the more popular ones include:  skin-fold test, bioelectrical impedance and underwater weighing.

The skin-fold test is by far the easiest and cheapest method available to determine body fat levels.  It is performed by measuring skin-fold thickness – a measure of fat under the skin – at specific locations on the body.  When performed properly, it can be up to 98% accurate. 

Available on the market today are scales that not only measure body weight, but take it one step further and measure body fat.  These scales use what is called bioelectrical impedance to analyze the tissue in the body.  A low-level, safe, electrical current travels through the body – quickly through the lean tissue and more slowly through fat tissue –which allows a calculation of fat and lean mass.  While there are many factors that can affect the scale’s readings including hydration levels and food intake, if you follow the directions and take the reading under similar conditions, you will obtain the best results.

Underwater weighing is by far the most accurate way to measure body fat.  It is also the most cumbersome and least viable option for most people.  It involves being weighed underwater and requires one to be completely submerged for a few seconds.

Time to Throw Out the Scale

Bathroom scales are worthless.  Beyond that, they can be detrimental to your emotional well-being and weight loss efforts.  Unfortunately, if you are like most people, you tend to get caught up with the number on your scale, the flashing digits that appear, seconds after you stand on it.  The number holds a power over you and can change your mood instantly.  That number however doesn’t show the whole picture and can fluctuate from day to day based on a variety of factors.

If you want to measure your success on a weight loss or fitness program, there are better ways than the scale.  These might include:

Body fat percent – The weight on the scale gives you a number – total body weight; but without knowing how much of that number corresponds to metabolically active lean muscle tissue versus fat, it is useless.   

Tape measure - Take your measurements when you begin a new program and record them once a month to monitor your progress.  This will be a better indicator than the number on a scale.

How your clothes fit – Do you have a pair of jeans, or favorite top sitting in the back of your closet that you would love to get into again?  Use it to measure your progress.

The mirror – seeing is believing.  If you can see in the mirror changes that are taking place, if people are telling you they can see a difference, believe them. 

If you feel you must weigh yourself, do so at most once a week.  But stop obsessing over the number on the scale and be sure not to let it affect your motivation, goals or weight loss efforts.  If you are feeling better, sleeping better and have more energy, these are far better indicators than what a number on the scale represents.   

Have you found yourself obsessing over the number on the scale?  Do you find it to be a motivating or discouraging tool?

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

If you have been struggling to lose weight, researching general fitness or trying to improve your health, you have probably heard the term BMI or Body Mass Index thrown around.  What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?  Body Mass Index is a measure, based on an individual’s weight and height, used to determine whether or not someone is at a healthy weight range.  It is derived at by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and multiplying that by 703.  So, how is this number interpreted?  The chart below shows the BMI ranges with the associated weight categories:

Don’t have a calculator handy?  Use the following chart below to determine your BMI.  Find your height in the vertical column and your weight in the horizontal column, your BMI can be found where these two numbers meet – along with the associated weight status.

Is BMI a reliable measure?  The problem with using this measurement is it tends to be inaccurate for very fit muscular individuals.  This is because the weight measurement used to calculate BMI does not distinguish between lean muscle and body fat.  So, if you have a 190 pound male who stands at 5’10” but is considerably muscular he would be classified as overweight, when in reality he is not.  However, for most people, BMI is a fairly reliable indicator of an individual’s weight status.

Do you know your BMI?  Does it accurately depict your weight status?

Exciting News: Win, Lose or Blog!

I have very exciting news to share with everybody. I have teamed up with five amazing bloggers - Fawnda from Fireflies and Jellybeans, Jill from Women Who Do It All, Lindsey from Fitness for the Rest of Us, Sumo from Sumo's Sweet Stuff, and Holly from 504 Main - and we are launching our fun and exciting new blog today: Win, Lose or Blog.

• Win? Win what? Great prizes donated from our sponsors.
• Lose? Lose what? Lose those unwanted pounds and have fun doing it.
• Blog? Blog what? Blog about your weight loss journey. We will be there every step of the way to encourage, support and motivate you to a healthier, fitter, trimmer you.

Stop by Win, Lose or Blog and sign up to be a contestant. You can also be eligible to win great prizes just by following our blog and leaving a comment supporting the contestants.

To learn more about the contest, meet the team or be a sponsor visit our blog today!

Go check it out!!! And spread the word!

Head on over to Win, Lose, or Blog now and you'll notice that you can leave three comments for displaying our button on your blog and five comments for writing an exciting post announcing us to your friends. We want you to invite others to join the the fun and gain some motivation to live a healthier lifestyle. Hope to see you there!!

Benefits of Keeping a Food Journal

If you are struggling to lose weight or if you believe you have an unhealthy relationship with food, it may be beneficial to keep a food journal.  Studies show that people who maintain a food journal may lose twice as much weight as those who do not record their daily intake.  Keeping a food journal also provides accountability. 

A food journal serves as an important tool, it not only shows you what you are eating but it can also depict why you are eating.  By jotting down, everything you eat, you will be able to get a clear picture of exactly what you are eating, when you are eating it and why you are eating it.  Keeping a food journal is also helpful to stave off binge eating or unconscious snacking.  If you know you are going to have to record in your journal the fact that you ate a donut, you may be less likely to actually eat it.  Keeping a food journal can help you choose foods based on whether you are actually physically hungry versus emotionally eating. 

These are some items you may want to record in your food journal:

What – this would include the food item and how much.  Try to be as specific as you can.

When – notate the time that the meal took place.  It may also be helpful to note what you were doing at the time; were you watching TV, talking on the phone or enjoying the meal quietly.

Where – the location you ate can be helpful in determining your eating habits. Jot down if you ate in your car, at the dinner table, or standing over the kitchen sink.  You may also want to note if you were alone or ate with someone.

Mood – writing down how you felt while eating your meal may be the link in helping to determine whether you are eating for satiety or if the meal was triggered by an emotion.

Have you ever kept a food journal?  Did you uncover anything in your eating habits?  Were you surprised by anything?

Calories In Less Calories Out: It's All About Balance

If you are trying to establish your caloric needs, you will need to determine your body’s metabolic rate – or total energy expenditure.  There are three components that make up your total energy expenditure:  Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), and Energy Expenditure from Activity.

Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body burns at rest.  This number represents about 50-80% of your total energy used.  BMR refers to the amount of energy your body needs to sustain itself.  It can be roughly calculated by multiplying your body weight in pounds by 10 calories.  So, as an example, a person weighing 135 would have a BMR of approximately 1,350 calories.

Thermic effect of food is the energy your body uses to eat, digest and metabolize the food you eat. Regardless of what you thought before, eating actually raises your metabolism.  After each meal, the metabolic rise occurs soon after you start eating and peaks two to three hours later.  This is why some experts recommend eating smaller meals more frequently to keep your metabolism stoked.  Some of the foods you eat speed up your metabolism more than other foods.  Proteins tend to have a much higher TEF than other types of foods.  The thermic effect of food is roughly estimated to be about 10% of total caloric intake.  So, if the same person in the above example is eating a 2,000 calorie a day diet, the approximate TEF is 200 calories.   

Energy used during physical activity is the number of calories your body burns during physical activity or exercise.  This number includes any activity above and beyond sitting or resting.  Of the three components that make up your body’s metabolic rate, this is the only number we have direct control over – we can manipulate it by being more physically active.  So, the same 135 pound person would need to expend 450 calories (2,000 – 1,350 – 200 = 450) to be in balance or maintenance.  In order to lose weight, the person in the example would either need to eat less or exercise more.

Do you know how many calories you should be eating?  Are you eating to maintain, gain or lose weight?